U.S. Pat. No. 5,802,710 discloses an electrical connector for use with coaxial cable and a method for attaching same. The connector may be attached to the coaxial cable with a high level of quality control via an assembly apparatus, as disclosed in commonly owned U.S. Pat. No. 7,900,344. The connector utilizes an insulating disc retained upon the inner connector and against the dielectric layer and outer conductor of the cable. Induction heating of a solder preform wrapped around the outer conductor creates a molten solder pool in a cylindrical solder cavity formed between the outer conductor, the insulating disc and the outer body of the connector. The insulating disc prevents the molten solder from migrating out of the cavity, which could foul the connector bore and/or short the outer and inner conductors. U.S. Pat. No. 8,984,745 discloses a variation of U.S. Pat. No. 7,900,344, supra, wherein a close-fitting interface pedestal provides the sidewall of the solder cavity in the solder apparatus, enabling elimination of the insulating disc.
Passive Intermodulation Distortion (PIM) is a form of electrical interference/signal transmission degradation that may occur with non-symmetrical interconnections and/or as electro-mechanical interconnections shift or degrade over time (for example, due to mechanical stress, vibration, thermal cycling, corrosion and/or material degradation). PIM is an important interconnection quality characteristic, as PIM generated by a single low quality interconnection may degrade the electrical performance of an entire RF system.
Competition within the cable and connector assembly industry has increased the importance of improving the electro-mechanical characteristics of the cable and connector interconnection while easing requirements for proper assembly.